The invention relates to a buffer conveyor for conveying and buffering products, such as parcel goods being conveyed one at a time, in particular boxes, crates, beverage cartons and the like, as well as mass flow goods such as bottles, cans and the like. Such a buffer conveyor comprises at least one first elongated conveyor, which can be driven in a first direction and which has a supply end, a second elongated conveyor, which can be driven in a second, opposite direction and which has a discharge end, which first and second conveyors extend in a path at least substantially parallel to each other and beside each other, a transfer unit, which is movable at least substantially parallel to the first and the second conveyor in the aforesaid path and which is provided with a transfer device for transferring the products from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, which transfer unit comprises a drive unit for driving the transfer unit, preferably in dependence on the velocities of the first and second conveyors.
Such transfer units are known in many embodiments thereof. Several ways of driving the transfer unit are possible. On the one hand buffer conveyors are known in which the transfer unit does not have its own drive unit, but in which the transfer unit is connected to the (drive unit(s) of the) first and second conveyors via a differential, so that the transfer unit is driven by the first and the second conveyor at a velocity dependent on the conveying velocity of said conveyors. Furthermore, buffer conveyors are known in which the transfer unit is driven by a stationary drive motor, which is connected to and drives the transfer unit via a connecting element, such as an endless driving element.